Council Expected to Show Support for Rodenticide Ban

A resolution showing support for a ban on rodenticides is expected to go before the Malibu City Council at some point in the coming months, but an exact date has not been decided on.

The state of California -- not the city of Malibu -- has the power to ban rodenticides.

"All we could do is pass a resolution indicating our support for such a ban and carefully outlining the scope of that support," Malibu Councilman John Sibert told Patch.

Sibert said his main concern is not to support a ban all rodenticides, but only those that leave residues in the rodents that can harm wildlife and domestic cats and dogs.

"If the council does pass a resolution, it will have the primary function of educating the citizenry as to the problems of a number of these products and the potential impact on wildlife in the unique Malibu environment," Sibert said.

The resolution has not yet been put on the council agenda, according to Bob Stallings, Malibu's Parks and Recreation Director.

According to Kian Schulman of the Malibu Agricultural Society:

The Resolution document will be an important catalyst for extending our campaign to the neighboring cities bordering the Santa Monica Mountains. The wildlife carnage we are trying to limit goes beyond our own backyard necessitating a multiple city outreach. A precedent set by Malibu, as a Green city, will be most helpful when these cities are approached to do the same.

The Malibu Agricultural Society has already worked with local merchants to get rodenticides pulled from shelves at CVS, Ralphs, Pavillions and other stores.